Expert: Kindred Beisinger penname K D Elizabeth Beisinger - 12/2/2005

Question
I am a 54 year old male, non-smoker, and in generally good health. I am concerned with an increasing inability to get a good night's sleep, which seems to be growing worse as I get older. For the most part my sleep is not as deep or restful as it once was, and I'll usually wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Upon returning to bed I am usually less tired, more restless after falling back to sleep, toss and turn, and am more susceptible to nightmares and disjointed dreams that don't seem to make any sense and of which I have no recall upon awakening. Once I'm awake, my mental and physiological states are far from rested. Physically I am stiff as a starched collar, and mentally/emotionally I sometimes feel like a lobotomized zombie. After stretching exercises and attempts to center myself mentally, it sometimes takes me anywhere from 1 to 3 hours to begin to feel like a normal human being again. I do remember my father had the same type of problem when he was alive, which became more exacerbated as he grew older. He also relied more heavily on sleeping pills.
Although I am less active than when I was younger, I do try to get a fair amount of exercise during the week (play tennis for two hours at least once a week). My question: Is there any homeopathic or holistic approach that I can be taking to address this problem more effectively? Also, are there certain food groups, herbs, or vitamins that could possibly assist in stimulating what may possibly be an age related decrease in the brain's ability to produce adequate amounts of serotonin? Thanks for any light you can shed on the subject.

Answer
Dear Bob,
As we get older, with less activity, we frequently don't require the same sleep and the sleep we do get is not as "deep."  I would strongly recommend against sleeping pills.  Something herbal for the prostate would be recommended at this point in life and try something simply like milk or a turkey sandwich before going to bed at night.  It sounds simplistic, but health usually is.  Try the simple things first.  There are many herbal relaxers, as well.
Write back if I can be of further assistance.
Kind Regards,
Kindred